Rihanna had some inspiring words for everyone who is young, creative, and “different”
By now, you’re fully aware that Rihanna is some kind of magical, otherworldly being sent here to bless us with her incredible music, brilliant sense of style, and motivational words. And while speaking at a benefit at the Parsons School of Design this week, Rihanna definitely brought the inspiration.
Rihanna was being honored at the 69th annual event for her dedication to the school, her philanthropic work, and her influence on fashion. During her acceptance speech, she took a moment to share some inspiring words for the young creatives in the audience (and everywhere else).
A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on May 24, 2017 at 12:33pm PDT
Rihanna had this to say:
“It was especially important for me to come to Parsons tonight because you are all the next generation, and we need to invest in you. You’re the ones who see the world with new eyes, with new perspective, who care about the future of our planet and the current state of the world. I’m here to say that I’m listening and I’m watching, and you’re up next.”
According to Vogue.com, the singer is a regular advocate for the institution’s work, and frequently wears its students’ designs to high-profile events.
Rihanna continued speaking to the school’s students, saying, “I don’t think you get celebrated enough.”
“You should be celebrated for every aspect of your growth and your growing pains. You should be celebrated for your creativity, for your fearlessness, for your persistence and determination. You should be celebrated for all the effort that you put into building your future, for being different, for not being given enough credit — for not having to use eye cream! My point is, we often tear our youth down when we should be building them up. At the end of the day, our future is in their hands.”
If that wasn’t inspiration enough, Rihanna also made sure to help Parsons lock down some needed funds. During the Monday night event, which included a live auction to raise money for student scholarships, she donated a package that included two front-row seats at her Fenty x Puma show in September.
And, to make sure the package captured the best price, RiRi asked for the microphone. “Anybody who wants to beat that ($12,000), I’ll even style you for the show,” she announced. This pushed the bids all the way up to $24,000.
We don’t know about you, but we’re definitely feeling a bit more inspired.
